On the heels of a Northeastern rainstorm that flooded towns on Long Island and claimed at least two lives in Connecticut, teams of scientists, engineers, and representatives of local power and transportation utilities met to discuss the increasing frequency of severe weather and its impacts on crucial infrastructure. The timing for the meeting at New York’s Kennedy International Airport.
The recent storm set the stage for discussions about how power systems and dependent services will respond to a changing climate.
The Climate READi Northeast Regional Workshop was co-hosted by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory. It was the final workshop of four hosted around the country by EPRI as part of its Climate REsilience and ADaptation Initiative (Climate READi). After a first day focused on training sessions with climate data, participants engaged in presentations and conversations about flooding and cloud impacts.
“This workshop is all about the future of the power system in a world affected by climate change,” said Martin Schoonen, Brookhaven Lab’s associate laboratory director for Environment, Biology, Nuclear Science & Nonproliferation. “The power system underpins many systems that support society.”
Schoonen reminded attendees that while superstorms may still be relatively rare in the Northeast, heavy rains capable of disrupting services are becoming more frequent.
“Brookhaven’s research in atmospheric and climate science is crucial in understanding the climate system at a fundamental level,” he said.
Morgan Scott, director of Climate READi at EPRI, encouraged networking to strengthen ties and potential collaboration. “These workshops are a great opportunity to focus on topics that are regionally specific,” she said. “Our goal is to bridge the gap between the scientific community and power system practitioners.”
Bernice Rosenzweig from Sarah Lawrence College provided an overview of how different types of flooding are projected to increase due to warming climates. Mike Ragona from Con Edison and Eric Willson from MTA discussed past storm impacts like Superstorm Sandy and future plans for infrastructure resilience.
Ed Kearns from First Street Foundation highlighted connecting climate change to financial risk using high-resolution models developed over 30 years. David Parsons from DOE noted challenges while aiming to double national grid capacity with advanced conductors already available commercially.
Schoonen also presented research on clouds' impact on solar panels' energy output and their broader effects on Earth's energy balance.
Jorge Gonzalez-Cruz from the University at Albany discussed urban heat island effects influencing power demand forecasts into late 2000s under different global warming levels. Bryan Irrgang from LIPA addressed increasing electrical demands due to electric vehicles (EVs).
Session moderator Andrea Staid concluded with questions about peak demand shifts if electrically powered air pumps become primary heating sources.
“While the workshop series is over, the work certainly isn’t,” Morgan Scott concluded. “We are committed to building this community towards resilience in our power systems.”